Which kit?
 

I am new to all this cobra stuff, and am looking to buy in the next year or so, but I recently found out there are alot of manufacturers of cobras to choose from.
I need to do some research as to what each model has to offer, and what to stay away from. Pros and cons of each if you will.
My market range is mid 30 to 40K.
Are there some threads already here to read up on the different models or should I start a new one here?
I did a cursory search in the forums and came up empty.

At first glance they all seem to look pretty close to each other outwardly, but I would think there could be major differences under the body.
Thanks for any help.

There are lots of threads here asking the same question. I'm not trying to be rude at all. But a quick search will give you a couple of hours of reading material right away, with no waiting. :)

You'll also come up with about a dozen new questions. If you then do a search on those specific questions, you'll get a another couple of hours of reading material.

This web site is like a searchable text book.

And now a(nother) long list of people posting to buy the kind of kit they own. :cool:

Where do you live? I would suggest meeting up with a local cobra club in your area.

I'd sure look into buying a finished car. Right now, there are a number of great cars for sale and prices are down. Local club get together is a good idea.
Larry

diverrick,

Yes there are a lot of manufacturers of cobras, but there are a lot manufacturers that make POS cobras.

If you stay with the popular manufactures you should be all right.

I am in Vacaville CA. I would love to get up with some local clubs, but right now I don't know any.
Like I said I did a search for " kits" and "what kit to buy" threads, with no results. What search title/ name would I use to go find the older threads that cover this?
That was the whole point, I did not have any luck finding the threads I assumed were already asked. Hard to tell which one would be the best at this point in my search.
I plan on buying one assembled or close to
I am so new I do not know who the reputable dealers are. I have seem Kirkham, Shell, FFR, and a couple of others..
Just trying to make sense out of the confusion

diverrick,

Check out the Nor-Cal and the North-bay forums. They have meets quite a bit. Usually breakfast or lunch on Saturday's.

NorCal Cobras - Club Cobra
North Bay Cobras - Club Cobra

Also check out Bill Emerson @ Emerson Motorsports. He is in Redding. Emerson MotorSports - Emerson 427 - Bigger, stronger, faster, better. You heard this before, let us prove it!. Bills are not the standard Cobras that you see. His is longer & wider. The doors are extended a bit. Worth a couple hour drive if you get in the mood.

Nothing recent on those forums. All older stuff

A budget of 35-40 will put Shelby, Kirkham, ERA & Superformance out of reach.

Quality Backdraft cars start in the low 40's used and go up. Shell Valley, Factory Five would be in that range. Quality can vary dramatically between FFR builds from what I have seen.

Also you are most likely looking at a an older 5.0 mustang motor at the price point.

There are always exceptions but this is what I have seen in looking for the past 3-4 months. Look at cobra country website to get a sense for the market and ebay.

You can get a nice Superformance at the $40 range, also Backdrafts are awesome and there in that range. I would buy used, especially if I was looking at a Backdraft or similar there are so many different kind of builds, colors, etc in those models...Plus you will save money doing it that way, trust me been there...

Ok Thanks. I had already figured the Kirkham was out of my range. I'll check out some of those others that were mentioned.
Here is another issue I found today.
"A smog check certificate completed by a Bureau of Automotive Repair (BAR) Referee Station. Since custom-built cars do not have a year-of-origin designated by a manufacturer, they must be inspected by a BAR Referee Station instead of a regular smog check facility (call (800) 622-7733 for an appointment)."

Sounds like I'll have some issues with smog. I was hoping that being the register them as 65 or 66, I would be exempt. Not sure how that work.

That was taken from The DMV instructions for registering in CA. I see the word "must" in there..

You can only register a car for what it is. You can't register a cobra replica as a 1965/1966/ect. in California. Yes, some other states allow that but not California.

It is a really simple process if done correctly. SB100 exempts the smog requirment for your replica. Do a search here for SB100 / SB-100. It will give yu all of the registering information you need.

The "must" is correct. But it is only a one time deal. You have to go to them when you first register your replica. That is the only time.

If you want you can call me. It is easier to tell you some of the information rather then typing it. I'll sent you my phone number in a PM.

The supply of nice, used Superformance Cobras w/SB100 in California is plentiful. Keep your eye on Cobra Country and all the other classic car sales channels, and I'm sure you can find one in your price range.

What about a 1967 Everett Morrison cobras? I see a nice car from them.

Everett Morrison (or any other replica manufacture) did not build a replica Cobra in 1967. Like I said, other states might let you register a replica as the year it "resembles" I.E. 1966,1967 or what ever, but California does not.

If you bring in a replica from out of state in 2013, California will register it as a 2013 SPCN. They do not care how another state registered it. If you do not want to add all of the smog requirments for California for 2013, then you go through the SB100 process.

That being said, some people may have gotten away with the older year registration, BUT, California "will" catch on and make you register it correctly. If you register it incorrectly, I.E. lie to them about the build year, you risk impoundment and confication of your replica.

Even CS himself could not register his newley built cars as an older one's. He tried it by saying that the frames were built in the 60's. California told him to take a hike.

Years ago there were companys that you could go thru to register a Cobra replica as a 1960's year but they got caught. A lot of those replicas were caught and now can't be registered in California at all "EVER". Those replicas are banned from ever being registered in California under any circumstances.

Take a chance, not me.

I sent you my contact information in a PM. I should be able to talk you through this in no time.

So that means I can't buy it from out of state and register it in cali as a 1967? That seriously puts a damper on the transaction.

Why does that put a damper on the transaction? You buy it, get an SB100 and register it as a 2013 SPCN and that’s it. No smog Req. No bi-annual smog checks either because SB100 makes it "smog exempt".

Unless you are trying to buy a replica and pass it of as an original 60's Shelby cobra, I do not see the issue.